Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Convergent Genomics

工程研究中心的规划赠款竞争是作为ERC计划内的试点招标运行。计划赠款不需要作为ERC竞赛的一部分，但旨在建立团队之间的能力，以规划融合，中心规模的工程研究。基因组学正在改变健康，自然和社会在21世纪世纪，随着新技术使基因组数据可用，可访问，并对越来越广泛的利益相关者有用。然而，为了获得基因组学的变革性好处，有必要更好地整合哪些基因组技术是可行的，哪些基因组技术是有用的。融合基因组学适应思想和技术的发展与受这些创新影响的个人，群体和机构之间不断变化的关系。融合模型整合了工程，自然和社会科学领域公认的领导者，他们在技术开发，基因组分析以及科学和社会影响分析的整合方面拥有丰富的经验。这一规划赠款将以最大限度地发挥趋同基因组学力量的方式获取跨学科专门知识，即工程师与自然科学家和社会科学家一起工作的基因组学，制定工作重点和实现这些重点所需的新的参与形式。通过一系列的三个讲习班，重点是确定研究主题，利益相关者和组织原则，面临的问题日益增长的基因组学社区和特定的工具和资源所需的趋同基因组学将开发。由于技术创新的速度，产生的数据量以及生成和解释这些数据所需的专业知识，基因组学很有可能通过狭隘的研究社区发展，这些社区严重孤立，没有动力为社会的最佳利益服务。UCSC基因组学研究所在设备和仪器开发，基因组分析和社会科学方面拥有独特的专业知识组合，成为工程技术的全球领导者，旨在最大限度地发挥技术力量和社会影响。通过一系列的三次规划会议，并在主持人的帮助下，我们将制定一个工程研究中心（ERC）的建议，其活动将围绕基因组学创新的四大支柱：集成设备和仪器技术;数据科学;培养下一代基因组工程工作人员;建立和保护基因组学领域的创新生态系统。这些支柱代表了我们提出的ERC的智力价值，需要一种融合和整体的方法，远远超出小规模项目和小型研究团队的范围，从而实现融合基因组创新的更广泛影响。例如，收集分子信息的技术必须从不同的生物样本中有效和准确地收集信息，并将结果传达给广泛的利益攸关方。只有当所产生的数据和信息可以获得、公平和公开，并以认识到隐私和正义的复杂挑战的方式分享时，设备和工具才对公众有价值。同样，基因组数据和技术的储存、获取和所有权问题也是一个巨大的挑战，将导致影响社会每个人的政策。活动，如实施跨部门的本科生辅导计划，并建立一个研究经验的本科生（REU）网站与其他学术合作伙伴机构将学员融入这个融合的环境。开放式研讨会、专题讨论会和外展活动将在整个规划期间开展，将吸引公众和其他利益相关者的参与。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research.Genomics is transforming health, nature, and society in the 21st century, as new technologies make genomic data available, accessible, and useful to an increasingly wide range of stakeholders. To reap the transformative benefits of genomics, however, better integration between what genomic technologies are feasible and what genomic technologies are useful is necessary. Convergent genomics adapts to the changing relationship between the development of ideas and technology and the individuals, groups and institutions that are affected by these innovations. The convergent model integrates recognized leaders from engineering, natural, and social sciences with experience in technology development, genome analytics, and the integration of science and social impact analysis. This planning grant will capture interdisciplinary expertise in a manner that maximizes the power of convergent genomics--that is, a genomics in which engineers work alongside natural and social scientists, formulating the foci of work and the novel forms of engagement needed to realize them. Through a series of three workshops focused on identifying research themes, stakeholders, and organizing principles, the problems facing the growing genomics community and the specific tools and resources needed for convergent genomics will be developed. Genomics, due to the speed of technological innovation, volume of data produced, and expertise required to generate and interpret these data, is at high risk of evolving through narrowly focused research communities that are heavily siloed and not motivated to serve the best interests of society. The UCSC Genomics Institute has the unique combination of expertise in device and instrument development, genome analytics, and social sciences to be a global leader in engineering technologies that are designed to maximize both technological power and social impact. Through a series of three planning meetings and with the help of a facilitator, we will develop a proposal for an Engineering Research Center (ERC) with activities that will revolve around four pillars of genomics innovation: Integrated device and instrument technology; data science; training the next genomic engineering work force; and establishing and protecting the innovation ecosystem of the genomics field. These pillars, which represent the intellectual merit of our proposed ERC, require a convergent and holistic approach that far exceeds the scope of small-scale projects and small teams of investigators, thus achieving the broader impacts that are the promise of convergent genomic innovation. For instance, technologies that glean molecular information must do so from diverse biological samples efficiently and accurately and communicate results to a broad constituency of stakeholders. Devices and instruments are valuable to the public only if resulting data and information are accessible, equitable and open, and shared in a manner that is cognizant of the complex challenges of privacy and justice. Similarly, questions of storage of, access to, and ownership of genomic data and technologies present formidable challenges that will result in policies that affect everyone across society. Activities such as implementation of a cross-departmental undergraduate mentoring program and establishment of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in concert with other academic partner institutions will integrate trainees into this convergent environment. Open workshops, symposia, and outreach activities, which will be developed throughout the planning period, will engage the public and other stakeholders.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.